in retrospect

I have a number of manuscripts that I am polishing, ready in the wings for when I am asked for more work. I hope to submit to agents this month. How much of an online presence should a writer have in the beginning? Is it expected (by agents or authors) to have an "author" web site at this pre-published stage? Or a strong social media established? I spend ALL my time writing, revising, or researching/reading books on craft I haven't made time for this. I also have a blog idea, that's still an idea at this point. I'm on FB and started twitter (for the writing world only) in Feb. Thanks!

If you are writing fiction, it is not required for you to have an online presence to land an agent or publishing contract. If you’re writing nonfiction, having a platform is a requirement and would be included in your proposal to an agent or publisher.

​For the sake of this post, I’ll assume you’re writing fiction.

Even though it isn’t required, I HIGHLY recommend building your web presence as soon as possible. It’s something that takes time, and it’ll definitely serve as an advantage when you’re looking for an agent or publisher since web presence is something they’ll look at. With that being said, an absent web presence will not work against you in any way. At this stage it isn’t a requirement, so you don’t need to worry about it too much.

Thanks, Jalissa! That's relieving. I feel awkward about the idea of having a website before I'm published...and I've always been a little worried that if I don't brand myself well, that having a poorly branded website might be worse than having none at all. I'm glad I can keep the focus on my work while building ideas about a future website without worrying about having it polished and up&running before I secure an agent. ( <3 the Glover .gif <3 )

Reply

JMC

5/22/2017 08:39:06 pm

No problem, Beck! It's a great idea to plan how you'd like your website to look, what you plan to put on your site, which social media platform(s) to use, etc. in the meantime. Good luck!